Our rating
THE LOCATION
If you've never been to Sackville, the name doesn't sound too promising. But this spot on the Hawkesbury River near Windsor is where Martin Boetz, former chef at Longrain restaurant in Sydney and Melbourne, has taken up farming on an 11-hectare property. He grows fruit and veg, produces honey, hosts cooking workshops, weddings and events in a rustic corrugated iron shed, and rents out a cottage perched high above the river. If you leave home before the Friday afternoon traffic disaster, it takes less than two hours from the city to get there, yet it feels like a complete escape.
THE SPACE
It's all about the view. As soon as we step inside, our jaws drop. Large windows line the front of the cottage, all looking straight down the Hawkesbury, which does a perfect U-turn (technical term: meander) around more farming land below with orchards. The Sackville car ferry chugs from one side to the other (a three-minute crossing) and a pair of sea eagles glide over the water then rise back to our eye level on air currents. Although it's raining when we arrive, the view is still stunning, the moody river wreathed in mist.
THE ROOMS
The cottage is quite large for a place that sleeps only two, with two pavilion-style rooms at either end, bedroom and living room, connected by the kitchen and bathroom in the middle. The look is simple but stylish, with lots of thoughtful touches, such as knee-warming throws for the sofa, a wooden umbrella stand by the door with umbrellas provided, and Aesop hand wash in the bathroom. The wood-burning stove is set to go, with a full wood box and matches. Waking up to the sight of the river and the sound of birds is a special treat. Little wonder this place is popular for wedding nights.
THE FOOD
The kitchen is stocked with vital supplies, including a jug of fresh milk and a slab of good butter in the fridge. The shelves hold Cooks Co-op olive oil, vinegar, garlic and raw honey, and a box of fresh produce sits on the bench with apples, blood oranges, grapefruit, a big fluffy bunch of parsley and a dozen plump shiny brown eggs. There is a barbecue outside and a good butcher in nearby Wilberforce, but we eat at the Heritage Hotel pub, which is pumping with locals on a Friday night. "Marty rates their steaks," we've been told, and he's not wrong. The rib-eye with peppercorn sauce, tip-top chips and fresh salad sets us up for the weekend, though we're slightly disappointed not to win the fishing club's meat tray. In the morning, following another tip-off, we head to George Street Loft in Windsor. The Lovely Loft Brekkie and choose-your-own fillings chef's omelette with Allpress coffee are as fine as anything you'll find in the big smoke.
STEPPING OUT
Windsor is a bit of a treasure trove for op shops and second-hand book stores. The gorgeous sandstone Ebenezer Church, Australia's oldest surviving church, serves scones and jam at the old school house next door. Many farms in the area offer fruit picking, Wollemi National Park is nearby for bush walks, and head home via Wiseman's Ferry for Sunday lunch. Just driving around this part of the world is a pleasure.
THE VERDICT
We'd like to live here. Maybe Marty needs a hand watering his tomatoes.
ESSENTIALS
Cooks Co-op Cottage, Sackville, from $245 a night (two night minimum), cooksco-op.com, bookings@james-rose.com.au, (04) 3805 5613
HIGHLIGHT
Seeing the moods of the river change each day.
LOWLIGHT
The fridge is a bit noisy – we switched it off at night and back on in the morning.
Jacqui Taffel was a guest of Cooks Co-op Cottage, Sackville